Monday, August 14, 2006

Seva is a key part of Sikhism. Seva is selfless service done for the benifit of others without ego and no expecation of reward.

Sathigur kee saevaa safal hai jae ko karae chith laae

Fruitful is service to the True Guru, if one does so with a sincere mind

All the Gurus showed us how to do seva correctly from Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Guru Arjan Dev Ji for example feeding the hungry and Guru Amardass Jis seva of ishnaan. Guru Arjan Dev Ji writing the Shabad Guru Shri Guru Granth Sahib Maharaj this was service for the benifit of others. Guru Hargobind Ji to Guru Gobind Singh a great amount of seva was done Guru Har Rai Ji built hospitals for the sick, Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji going through Cities and Towns healing the sick. Guru Tegh Bhadar Ji giving his head for the Hindus this was selfless service to keep the Hindu faith going so all the Hindus were not converted.

Other examples of Serving Humanity in sikhi are Bhai Khanaiya Ji is a great example; he gave water and first aid to everyone in the battle feild not creating divsions if they were low caste or high caste or if they were Muslims or Sikhs that is Serving Humanity. Another example of Seva is Bhagat Puran Singh who set up the world famous Pinglewara helping the poor, disabled young children up to old aged men and women. Seva is somehting you do by hand like Bhagat Puran Singh who founded Pingalwara by doing Seva himself of the poor and sick.

Sathagur kee saevaa gaakharree sir dheejai aap gavaae

It is very difficult to serve the True Guru. Surrender your head; give up your selfishness

I think that the Sikh panth is is not doing as much seva as it could we should try and play our part and do as much seva we could, look at our history to get more inspiration on how and where to do Seva and what Seva is. Seva in the mordern world is being done by Khalsa Aid and United Sikhs who go to the scenes of natural disasters and they supply food water and shettle and rebuild peoples homes that were demolished by the natural disasters.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

The shrine Shri Hemkunt Sahib stands apart from all other Sikh shrines, it is related with our tenth master Shri Guru Gobind Singh. Were Guru Ji contemplated on the one divine God in meditation. Hemkunt Sahib is connected to the previous birth of the guru when he meditated. The Guru writes in his autobiography –

“Thus I narrate the tale of my own lifeHow the lord sent me forth to this worldWhile I was busy with austeritiesThere I was by Hemkunt ‘Receptacle of Ice’Amid the seven snow – clad mountain peaksOut of my contemplation, the lord GodSummoned me to his presenceAnd sent me hither to his worldIt wasn’t my desire to come hither”

- Bachitra Natak: 103, 28-30

The shrine is also unique in its location. It stands over 15,210 feet above sea level. No other is located at such a height nor is any other gurdwara so hard to get to as you have to walk a great deal before you reach the holy Gurdwara. When you reach the holy shrine first you have ishnan in the holy lake where pilgrims usually recite Japji Sahib whilst bathing in the holy lake. The roof is unique the roof is the shape of an inverted lotus flower. Pilgrims go and bow to Shri Guru Granth Sahib in the Darbar and then sit and there and feel peace and want to meditate in such a quiet and calm environment. Ardas is performed and then the pilgrims go to the langar and then they do their return journey back to the bottom.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Guru Nanak is ‘the Name’ we sing as the birds sing the joy of the new dawn. Guru Nanak, Guru Nanak, we say and we pass on. We look neither to the left nor to the right, with our lips sealed with honey of the name, with our eyes enraptured by the dream of a greater, nobler universe of the Guru’s mind. We go muttering even mechanically our life – mantram and we pass undisturbed and undisturbing into the heart of men and things. We go mingling like a good thought in the blood of the universe, ‘the Name! the Name!’

As the babe knows the mother and nothing beyond, we know our Name and nothing beyond. They ask a mere child what is God and where? How could the little babe talk? The baby laughs. The babe hath not yet learnt language, nor thought. Do you believe in God or do you no? What impertinent questions are these and those? Enough, under the garment of the Guru I am concealed and blessed in my garment of the Guru I am concealed and blessed in my joy that knows no answer to these questions.

So you cannot fight the battles. You are seeking the peace of the soul without a body. And what is a soul without the body. No, I have a friend divine that saves me and saves all. If I am to be I shall be of his command and he knows more than you and I. I believe he makes his servant manifest in a day, in a moment. Greatness is all his. Great men are but mediums of his inspiration. He who is filled with the will of the father is great. None else, none else. Greatness is of the service. He gives to his servant to do. The bird on the bough that chirps a nascent note of the morn is a hero to that extent. We believe that man is as powerless as the babe, as the calf, as the bird.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

....."Some people think if they can argue, they can win. Nobody can win with arguments. Logic and reason is not the way of life. The other person is not interested in being convinced. When you try to convince somebody, somebody tries to get out of it. This is a normal reaction. If you relay from the heart center, you will always have victory with you." Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Yogi, March 16, 1982.....

It does not sink in water; thieves cannot steal it, and fire cannot burn it. Pause

Niradhhan ko dhhan a(n)dhhulae ko ttik maath dhoodhh jaisae baalaeIt is like wealth to the poor, a cane for the blind, and mother's milk for the infant

Saagar mehi bohithh paaeiou har naanak karee kirapaa kirapaalaeIn the ocean of the world, I have found the boat of the Lord; the Merciful Lord has bestowed His Mercy upon Nanak."

There was a sikh called Bhai Mona who was serving in the langar of Guru Angad Dev Ji Maharaj. Mona was extremely arrogant and greedy. Some people complanied to the Guru the insulting behaviour Bhai Mona displayed whilst serving langar. The Guru called him for an explanation. Bhai Mona said that he was the servant of the Guru and would do anything for him and that he was not a servant of the others.

The Guru than asked him to go to the nearby forest, chop some wood, make a pyre and cremate himself. Without understanding the consequences of the Guru’s orders he went to the forest, cut the wood, makes a pyre and lit it. On seeing the blazing fire he became scared and was reluctant to jump in the fire. Meanwhile a thief arrived and asked Bhai Mona what he was going to do. Bhai Mona told him the whole story. The thief thought that he had an opportunity of wiping out the sins of his past life. He accordingly said to Bhai Mona that he would give him a bag of jewels if he would let him die on the pyre and get salvation. Bhai Mona happily agreed.

The thief jumped in the fire and was taken to the heavens by the Guru himself. Bhai Mona on the other hand was arrested for the theft of the jewels and was hanged. On hearing this the Guru said that a sinner could get salvation by believing in and obeying Guru’s orders no matter where he had lived; whereas the pride and vices like anger and greed would destroy the result of all the service, even if one had lived near the Guru.

If someone just clings onto the word of the Guru they will be saved, through the Guru's grace ... Gur Ka Bachan....

………“The truth of suffering is that we experience many different types of suffering. The three categories are: suffering of suffering – this refers to things such as headaches; suffering of change – this is related to the feeling of restlessness after being comfortable; and all- pervasive suffering that acts as the basis of the first two categories and is under the control of karma and the disturbing mind.”……….

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Bani Guru, Guru Hai Bani

"O Lord, You are the Greatest of the Great, the Greatest of the Great, the Most Lofty and Exalted of all, the Greatest of the Great.Those who meditate on the Infinite Lord, who meditate on the Lord, Har, Har, Har, are rejuvenated.Those who sing and listen to Your Praises, O my Lord and Master, have millions of sins destroyed.I know that those divine beings who follow the Guru's Teachings are just like You, Lord. They are the greatest of the great, so very fortunate.Let everyone meditate on the Lord, who was True in the primal beginning, and True throughout the ages; He is revealed as True here and now, and He shall be True forever and ever. Servant Nanak is the slave of His slaves"